Data transmission is an important aspect of computer networks and many other electronic devices such as integrated circuits. One important property of data transmission is the speed of data transmission. It is generally beneficial to transmit data at the fastest rate possible while still maintaining an acceptable data transmission error rate. Data is often transmitted according to various protocols. These protocols may be defined by specific standards established by various standards bodies, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), for example, or other standards bodies. Standards are generally beneficial because they ensure that any element of the data transmission network will be able to successfully transmit transit data to or received dated from another element of the data transmission network.
However, standards often restrict the options of a user of the data transmission network. For example, a given standard may have a limited number of data transmission rates at which to transmit the data according to the standard. Such a limited number of data transmission rates may cause the data to be transmitted at a lower rate than would otherwise be possible. That is, while data transmitted at a certain rate may lead to too many errors, data transmitted at the next lower rate available according to the data protocol may be slower than otherwise possible while meeting an acceptable data transmission error rate.
Accordingly, circuits and methods that enable transmitting data at a rate not available according to a standard are desired.